Archbishop Mitty coach Sue Phillips whistles to get the attention of her team as they play Cardinal Newman in the second quarter during the Northern California Open Division girls basketball championship game at Santa Clara University's Leavey Event Center Saturday, March 18, 2017, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Jim Gensheimer/Bay Area News Group)

Cardinal Newman stayed with Mitty for a quarter Saturday in the Northern California Open Division championship game at Santa Clara University’s Leavey Center, but by halftime the bounce in Newman’s step had sunk beneath the Monarchs’ incredible talent and Phillips’ endless shuffling of fresh players from the bench.

When it ended, Mitty had claimed its first Open regional championship — and 12th regional title overall — with a 78-54 victory.

The Monarchs (28-2) will play Southern California champion Clovis West for the state championship next Saturday night at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Mitty beat Clovis West 76-75 in overtime Dec. 10 in Hawaii.

“I thought our depth was a critical component to the victory,” Phillips said. “Secondly, our changes defensively both in the open court and the half court in which we were controlling the tempo and continuing to increase it on both sides of the ball, I thought that would really turn the table on the scoreboard.”

Madeline Holland led Mitty with 20 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Haley Jones added 15 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals in what really was a team-wide effort.

Mitty, the state’s top-ranked team, led 16-13 after one quarter, then shifted its sports car of a team into optimum gear. The Monarchs outscored Newman 25-7 in the second quarter to take a 41-20 advantage into the locker room.

“It’s a tremendous help,” Holland said of the constant substitutions. “We are so deep on this team. There are so many players that can play multiple positions and step in when they need to step in. For me it’s real helpful because I get a rest.”

The onslaught continued in the third quarter as Mitty extended the lead to 61-31 going to the fourth.

Here is how efficient Mitty played: Twenty-two of its 34 field goals were assisted baskets.

Newman (30-4) had five assists.

In the previous two rounds, Newman — last season’s Division IV state champion — had been a giant killer.

The Cardinals, led by 6-foot-5 Lauren Walker and 6-3 Hailey Vice-Neat, won at No 2 seed Carondelet in the first round and at No. 3 Pinewood in the semifinals.

But a third upset wasn’t to be. Newman had a 13-11 lead in the first quarter when Mitty — as Phillips noted — turned the tables on the scoreboard. Mitty ended the half on a 30-7 run to all but put its upset-minded opponent away.

Mitty shot 53.1 percent (34 of 64) from the field and 43.5 percent (10 of 23) from 3-point range.

It outrebounded Newman 37-27.

“We were pretty tough tonight,” Phillips said.

Newman coach Monica Mertle was emotional afterward as her team bids farewell to Walker and Vice-Neat, two players who elevated the program each of the past four seasons.

Walker and Vice-Neat both had foul issues, and Mertle said that obviously did not help.

“We have two Division I post players,” she said. “We need them to be on the court to win this game. That was a huge factor, especially so early.”

It also didn’t help that Mitty kept sending in fresh players to keep the momentum going.

“Their depth is a factor,” Mertle said. “They were able to play and rotate a lot of players.”

It all added up to a first regional Open championship for one of the state’s storied programs.

“This program does have a rich tradition of success,” Phillips said. “But in speaking with this particular team we talked about creating their own legacy that would be unique to this year’s team. That is to win an Open championship. They have done something that no one in Archbishop Mitty has done yet. So kudos to this group of young ladies.”

Darren Sabedra is a sports reporter and the high school sports editor, overseeing prep coverage throughout the Bay Area. He's been with the Bay Area News Group since the early 1990s and has covered many sports beats, including Stanford football and basketball, pro baseball and the NFL.